Final answer:
The candle will take 10 hours to burn down 5 inches.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the number of hours it will take for a 6-inch candle to burn down 5 inches, we can set up a proportion using the given information. Let's denote the number of hours it takes for the candle to burn 5 inches as 'x'. The proportion can be set up as follows:
6 inches / 12 hours = 5 inches / x hours
Cross-multiply and solve for 'x':
6x = 5 * 12
Divide both sides by 6:
x = 10
Therefore, it will take 10 hours for the candle to burn down 5 inches.